STD Testing Blog

In the past, women have been told to get annual Pap tests starting three years after becoming sexually active or when they turn 21 – whichever came first. Now teen girls are able to skip Pap tests, according to new guidelines, and they should start receiving the tests when they turn 21. Experts are now concerned that with one in four teen girls contracting an STD, often soon after becoming active, rates may begin to rise.

Kimberly Spector, an adolescent-health educator in Los Angeles, is concerned that young girls will lose the opportunities to ask questions about their sexual health if they aren’t routinely coming in for a Pap test. She says that even if no tests are performed, a simple conversation with the doctor can be very informative.

While the new guidelines suggest that girls under 21 visit their gynecologist,  many people are worried that if women hear that they don’t need to have a Pap test annually, they won’t make the effort to get any preventive care against STDs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, and human papillomavirus (HPV).

Harold Wiesenfeld, M.D., director of the division of reproductive infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, acknowledges that many STDs do not show symptoms. If someone is positive for an STD and it is left untreated, often the STD will develop into more serious complications including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.

Many experts have agreed that Pap tests are unnecessary for teenage girls, and that waiting until they’re 21 years old will not put them at risk. Bobbie Gostout, M.D., chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota says that the guidelines are well thought out, and that she is not afraid of any consequences.

Ideally teens should receive the appropriate vaccines and develop a relationship with their doctor before becoming sexually active, but if they do not it is not a bad idea to receive a Pap test annually for the sake of their own health.

*For the complete article, please visit http://stdtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Rachel Uchitel, Tiger Woods’ mistress, has reportedly planned to do some testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Uchitel apparently told her friends that she planned on testing after multiple women, including a few porn actresses, claimed they had also had relations with Woods.

Uchitel’s decision to get tested is a smart one indeed. By having sex with Tiger, who supposedly has had unprotected sex with many different women throughout his marriage, Uchitel potentially exposed herself to several possible infections.

Several of Woods’ extramarital affairs have been exposed following his car crash last week, however no comments have been made as to whether his wife, model Elin Nordegren, will have any STD testing done.

All in all, it is probably a good idea for all of Tiger’s partners to get tested at some point following these allegations. Affairs are obviously something that people would rather keep private, but if you are at higher risk like these women for contracting an STD it is better to be safe than sorry.

*For the complete article, please visit http://stdtestingblog.com/original-articles/

The CDC recently released new data regarding STD infections among teenagers. The result: teens need better sex education. In the past ten years, the annual rate of AIDS diagnoses for 15 to 19 year old boys has nearly doubled. For the report the CDC compiled data from several surveys among people aged 10 to 25, and these are their findings:

Only half of girls and just 35 percent of boys ages 18 and 19 had discussed methods of birth control with a parent, yet more than 80 percent of both boys and girls reported that they had learned to say no to sex.

Statistics indicate that lots of teens aren’t saying no. Thirty percent of 15-17 year old girls said they had engaged in sex, and this number rose to 70.6 percent among 18 and 19 year old girls. Boys shared similar statistics, with 31.6 percent of boys aged 15 to 17 engaging in sex, and 64.6 percent of 18 and 19 year old boys. On a rather disturbing note, nearly ten percent of women ages 18 to 24 reported that their first intercourse experience was involuntary.

In 1997 the number of HIV infections in 15 to 19 year old boys was 1.3 per 100,000 cases. In 2006 that number had increased to 2.5 infections per 100,000 cases. Also on the rise were rates for syphilis in females. There were 1.5 positives per 100,000 cases in 2004 and 2.2 infections per 100,000 cases in 2006.

While many teens are learning about sex, many of the lessons tend to be abstinence-only centered, which explains why lower rates of teens have discussed birth control methods. As rates for HIV and syphilis continue to climb it is important now more than ever that teens are supplied with an expansive sex education so that they know the risks of sexual intercourse and how to prevent them.

*For the complete article, please visit http://stdtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Long-haul truckers have shown high rates of hepatitis C, and most of the infected truckers were unaware of their status.

Many truckers engage or have engaged in high risk behavior, including injection drug use.

International studies have shown similar results, that long-haul truck drivers have high rates of sexually transmitted diseases.

Testing for hepatitis C should be considered by truck drivers, especially if they have ever injected drugs or received blood transfusions prior to 1992.

Also, many drivers engage in high-risk behavior, including having sex with casual partners and commercial sex workers.  It is recommended that workers should follow safe sex practices, including consistent condom use.  It is also recommended by the CDC to get tested for the majority of STDs at least once every six months.

For the complete article, please refer to www.stdtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Test Overview

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) test is a blood test that looks for proteins (antibodies) or genetic material (RNA) of the virus that causes hepatitis C. These proteins will be present in your blood if you have a hepatitis C infection now or have had one in the past. It is important to identify the type of hepatitis virus causing the infection, to prevent its spread and start the proper treatment.

HCV is spread through infected blood.

• Anti-HCV antibody tests look for antibodies to HCV in the blood, indicating an HCV infection has occurred. This test cannot tell the difference between an acute or long-term infection. The enzyme immunoassay (EIA) may be the first test done to detect anti-HCV antibodies.
• HCV RIBA is an additional test that detects antibodies to HCV. This test can tell whether a positive result was caused by an actual HCV infection or whether the result was a false-positive. This test may be done to double-check a positive EIA test result.
• HCV RNA PCR genetic material (RNA) testing uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to identify an active hepatitis C infection. The RNA can be found in a person’s blood within 1 to 2 weeks after exposure to the virus. HCV RNA testing may be done to double-check a positive result on an HCV antibody test, measure the level of virus in the blood (called viral load), or show how well a person with HCV is responding to treatment.
  • HCV quantitative test (also called viral load) is often used before and during treatment to find out how long treatment needs to be given and to check how well treatment is working.
  • HCV viral genotyping is used to find out which genotype of the HCV virus is present. HCV has 6 genotypes, and some are easier to treat than others.

There is no vaccine available to prevent hepatitis C.

The quantitative HCV RNA tests use either a process called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) or signal amplification (branched DNA). These are all “quantitative” techniques and will give an actual level of HCV RNA — a measurement of the amount of hepatitis C virus in the blood. The result will be an exact number, such as “1,215,422 IU/L.” Many people refer to the quantitative measurement as the hepatitis C “viral load”.

Explanation of test results:

There are 2 situations in which a quantitative test is useful:

The quantitative HCV RNA test is checked before a patient starts treatment.

For each patient, the result can be described as either a “high” viral load, which is usually >800,000 IU/L, or a “low” viral load, which is usually <800,000 IU/L. Knowing the viral load before starting treatment is useful because patients with “high” viral loads can have a difficult time getting the virus to become completely undetectable on treatment. Patients with “low” viral loads have a better chance of getting their virus to become completely undetectable on treatment.

The quantitative HCV RNA test is used to monitor a patient who is currently on treatment.

The response to treatment is considered good when the quantitative HCV RNA measurement drops and the virus eventually becomes completely undetectable.

Larghi A, Tagger A, Crosignani A, Ribero ML, Bruno S, Portera G, Battezzati PM, Maggioni M, Fasola M, Zuin M, Podda M

Department of Internal Medicine, Ospedale San Paolo, Milan, Italy.

Whether sustained biochemical response and absence of serum HCV RNA in the 6-12 months following suspension of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy reflect definitive viral clearance in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is controversial. To obtain more information on this topic, HCV RNA was sought in both liver and serum samples of 25 long-term responders who were followed for a median period of 39 months (range 21-79) after discontinuation of IFN-alpha. Liver biopsy was undertaken before and 6 to 12 months after IFN-alpha withdrawal. Liver and serum HCV RNA were tested by a nested polymerase chain reaction. Twenty-two patients (88%) tested negative for both liver and serum HCV RNA, two patients had detectable HCV RNA in both liver and serum, and one patient showed persistent HCV RNA only in the liver. Post-treatment liver histology improved markedly in all patients, including those with viral persistence. During further follow-up, biochemical remission was maintained in all patients except one in whom both serum and liver specimens remained HCV RNA positive. The data indicate that the large majority of long-term responders test negative for HCV RNA in the liver, which suggests definitive eradication of HCV RNA infection.

When it comes to personal health, many people will see a doctor or physician at any sign of trouble. Unfortunately it is often the opposite when it comes to sexual health. Many people see discussing their sexual health as being taboo, when in fact it should be the exact opposite. Talking about it is very important, especially if there are signs or symptoms of a problem.

Many people are scared to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) or ask about their sexual health because of myths that exist about it. Some of these myths respond to confidentiality. Many people are worried that if they test, their friends, colleagues, or parents might find out about it. The truth is that many places offer confidential testing and treatment, where all information is held between the patient and provider.

Other people are worried that the testing process is painful or uncomfortable, when in fact one can test for almost every STD with either a blood or urine sample. If a blood draw sounds uncomfortable, it may help to know that it involves only a small needle and a short time of actual drawing.

Some individuals are concerned that if they contract an STD they will have it for life. In reality all STDs can be treated, and most of them can be cured. Curable diseases include syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis. STDs that cannot be cured, but are treatable are the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and herpes.

A lot of people believe that if they haven’t had sex they cannot receive an STD. The truth is that STDs can be contracted through oral, vaginal, and anal intercourse. If someone has had any of these types of intercourse it might be a good idea to get tested.

But if you’re not showing any signs of symptoms there’s no need to get tested, right? Wrong, many STDs progress without showing symptoms in certain individuals. While not having any symptoms is a great sign, nevertheless it is probably a good idea to get tested if you’ve had any risky sexual behaviors.

Keep in mind that condoms, when used correctly, do a great job of protecting people against STDs. However, things like herpes that are transmitted through skin-to-skin contact can still be contracted even when using a condom. For that reason you should always be aware of symptoms that may exist where the condom did not cover. Herpes can also be carried orally in the form of a cold sore. While cold sores are common and not something to be worried about, it is important to be aware of them on yourself or on partners because they can transmit the type-1 herpes virus through skin-to-skin contact as well.

Carrying on or starting a relationship with an STD can be difficult or uncomfortable in some situations.  A suggestion for getting through this is to be knowledgeable about your STD. The more you know about it, the better you will be able to inform your partners and make smart decisions. If you have a current partner at the time of diagnosis, they should be tested and treated as well for the STD. If the STD is incurable, stay adherent to the medication and make sure you inform any potential partners of your infection before any sexual contact.

If you decide to do some testing, make sure you are open and honest about any symptoms, possible exposures, or recent partners you’ve had when you speak with someone. They use this information to make sure you are doing the right tests at the right time so you don’t receive any false results.

Some final words of wisdom are “treat your body like you treat your toothbrush – don’t share it with everybody… STDs are equal opportunity employers. They don’t discriminate.”

* For the complete article, please visit http://stdtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Unlike antibody tests, HCV RNA tests directly measure for the presence of the hepatitis C virus. HCV RNA tests may be qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative HCV RNA tests are used to diagnose hepatitis C. Your doctor might choose to perform an HCV RNA test instead of the ELISA, especially if you are at high-risk for hepatitis C. The HCV RNA test will be positive in as little as 1 to 2 weeks after exposure. A positive HCV RNA test means a person has hepatitis C infection.

Quantitative HCV RNA tests allow your doctor to determine exactly how much virus is in the blood. This is referred to as the viral load. The viral load is usually expressed as units per milliliter or copies per milliliter. In patients with chronic hepatitis C infection, viral loads vary widely from 50,000 to 5 million copies per milliliter. A higher viral load may not necessarily be a sign of more severe or more advanced disease but it does correlate with likelihood to respond to treatment. HCV RNA tests can also be used to monitor response to hepatitis C treatment. For example, if the viral load decreases during treatment, this suggests that treatment is working and should be continued. Conversely, if the viral load remains the same, it suggests that the patient is not responding to treatment.

Web sites such as YouTube and Facebook have been used with great success to raise public awareness about a variety of issues in the past, perhaps most notably during the 2008 presidential campaigns.

Now, the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) has incorporated these new media outlets into an ambitious campaign to educate teenagers about sexually transmitted infections, diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, that affect one out of four sexually active teenagers in the U.S.

Health and new media experts said the BPHC’s viral messaging approach is a step in the right direction but that it needs to be taken to the next level in order to change teenage sexual behavior.

“The underlying principle on this campaign that is different from past campaigns is that if we want to be successful, we need to be youth driven and youth appropriate,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the BPHC, particularly in terms of what venues are most likely to be sought after and seen by adolescents. “They have input into how messages are created that target them. The content is definitely not ours.”

Youth-to-Youth Internet STI Education Efforts

The youth-driven campaign, launched yesterday, utilized an interactive Facebook page where users can post anonymous health questions, YouTube video skits about STIs that also run on the cable channels MTV, BET and FX, advertisements on billboards and buses around Boston, and in-person outreach in the form of public skits performed by youth volunteers.

“In terms of today’s vehicles, you have to meet teens where they’re at,” said Tara Cousineau, a psychologist and founder of bodimojo.com, a health site for teens, citing the Internet, Facebook, Twitter and MTV as popular information disseminators. “The part that is still a challenge is how to get the messages to sink in. … You have to be passing the message along but engaging the kid in the message along the way.”

Cousineau said using interactive Web features such as quizzes that could be completed and forwarded to friends was one way to continue spreading a message.

The school nurse can serve a variety of functions, from administering first aid to taking temperature to … pregnancy testing?

Starting this fall, the health centers in New York’s Port Chester public school district — including Port Chester elementary, middle and high schools — will begin providing STD and pregnancy testing to requesting students.

Any student who tests positive for infection or pregnancy can be referred to a nearby off-campus treatment facility.

The proposal was tabled by Open Door Family Medical Centers, which provides the district’s schools with federally funded clinics staffed with nurse practitioners, and the school board passed it last month.

COLUMBUS, Ohio—STDCarriers.com claims to be an international list of people with STDs, sexuallytransmitted diseases. It was launched in October 2008 by a recent college grad whose ex-girlfriend gave him herpes.

“I’m actually listed on there myself,“ says site creator and administrator Cyrus Sullivan. He didn’t put himself on the list. He waited for someone else to put his name in the database.

The site says its list includes people infected with one or more diseases, including HIV, from at least five countries. The list is not just porn stars, movie stars and athletes whose stories have been reported in the mainstream media, but average people who have been reported to the site by friends, ex’s and people who claim to have some knowledge of person’s health status.

He says he created the list to warn others.

“If this site had existed in its current state a little over a year ago,“ he says, “I would have been able to look this girl up and I wouldn’t be having to shell out money for Valtrex every month.“

“I think for prevention messages alone this is a really bad idea,“ warns Columbus AIDS Task Force Executive Director Peggy Anderson. She says the site can’t be successful even if all the information in its database is true.

“Primarily it doesn’t work because it can never be an all-inclusive list,“ she says. “If people don’t know their own status, you’re still not going to know. So you’re going to trust a faulty mechanism to tell you who’s safe and who’s not.“

The site’s database is built solely on reports from users and is far from comprehensive. It lists a total of 15 people in Ohio including two in Columbus, five in Cleveland and one in Galion. Anderson says that may give users a false impression of safety. People may not practice safe sex because their partner does not appear on the list.

Anyone who signs up for the site’s free membership can post information and the administrators take no responsibility for the accuracy of the posts. According to the site’s Legal Section, “Information is published by users who agree to the Terms of Use and then insert information into our database. As part of this agreement users assume full responsibility for the information that they publish.“ The data is then immediately visible on several of the site’s pages. One of the Ohio listings is for a Cincinnati-area woman who, according to police records, hit her boyfriend in the face with a bottle then, knowing her HIV status, spit in his face hoping to infect him. Hamilton County Jail records say she is charged with felony domestic violence. The information in her STDCarriers.com listing is based on an article from the Cincinnati Enquirer. Her condition is part of police record and is, therefore, a verifiable public record. Some of the postings even include photos, like a 19-year-old from Amherst, Ohio, who is alleged to have at least two STD’s.
That is not the case for many of the items in the database which are unsubstantiated. Sullivan says he audits the database occasionally but it’s up to the posters to be honest.

“They assume responsibility for what they post,“ he says. “They also agree to compensate victims once found.“

The site’s Terms of Use say misrepresenting your affiliation to a person will incur a $1,000 fine, posting content that violates the TOU costs $7,500 for each item, and “if you are found to have violated this section you agree to compensate the victim a monetary amount not less than $5,000 United Staes [sic] Dollars plus all legal expenses.“ Sullivan says he has never collected the money on a TOU violation or misuse.

CATF’s Anderson is concerned about the ramifications for people who’s names end up on the list, no matter whether the information is true or false.

“I’ve seen people lose their jobs, lose their housing, be kicked out of their families, their churches,“ she says of her years working with the HIV community. “And I just think putting any information out there, even if it is real, you are hurting people.“

“That’s ridiculous,“ says Sullivan, the site’s owner. “That is a flaw in the people that do those types of things to people. You should never throw someone out of their house or disown them just because they have HIV or any medical condition.“ He says he does not feel responsible for the fallout of posting the information.

Every “Carrier Profile” page includes a legal disclaimer that acknowledges the possibility of false postings and says the “site does not assert that any person listed does in fact have a sexually transmitted disease or that statements made about them are true.“

The site claims it is not legally liable for the information published by its users because it is protected by the First Amendment which would, according to the site’s Legal Section, “protect our right to report what someone else said even if what that person said was false because that fact that the statement was made would be true.“

“The fact that he’s merely republishing something somebody else told him does not give him a defense,“ says Kathleen Trafford, an attorney at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP who handles many First Amendment Cases.

She says, depending on the website’s statements, the owner could be sued for defamation, libel or slander. “If there is nothing being done to check the fact that these would be true statements, I think that person is at real risk,“ she says. “While the first amendment gives you a right to make statements publicly, it doesn’t give you an unlimited right to say anything about anybody else.“

Sullivan says he believes he is fully protected but his members and users may find themselves in legal trouble. “I’m in a pretty good legal position, on my end,“ he says. He says he has heard from several attorneys but has never actually been sued. The web site expects that it will be fed bad information by users with a grudge and even acknowledges that it has happened. The Fraud Policy says, “Due to the predictability of human behavior it is inevitable that people will (like they already have) use this potentially life saving resource to hurt others for any number of personal reasons by posting false information on this site.“

Removing a name from the database is solely at Sullivan’s discretion. And he admits the site runs on a guilty-until-proven-innocent method. “I feel the government should have been doing this years ago,“ he says.

To be taken off the list, Sullivan requires written test results from a doctor. “Have your doctor send your clean test results in an official sealed envelope,“ says the site’s Fraud Policy. It lists a Portland, Oregon, Post Office box as an address and says, in October 2009, it will be switching to a “non-USPS box service that forwards mail.“

The issue of comprehensive versus abstinence-only sex education has been on the hot plate for quite some time now, but finally Utah state officials have drawn the line. Unfortunately , it’s still not very clear.

The State Board of Education approved a curriculum that allows teachers to point out different methods of contraception, such as birth control or condoms, and encourages testing for STDs such as chlamydia, gonorrhoeae, or herpes. However, the curriculum does not allow teachers to promote the use of birth control. With such a fine line between appropriate and inappropriate material, teachers are nervous about what they say in the classroom. If they go too far they could face serious repercussions.

School boards are allowed to teach less than the new curriculum permits; however, they are not allowed to teach more than what is permitted. HB189, a proposed bill, would require discussions regarding  contraceptives in all health classes.

* For the complete article, please visit http://stdtestingblog.com/original-articles/

.

The first national study of four common sexually transmitted diseases among girls and young women has found that one in four are infected with at least one of the diseases, federal health officials reported Tuesday.

Nearly half the African-Americans in the study of teenagers ages 14 to 19 were infected with at least one of the diseases monitored in the study — human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, genital herpes and trichomoniasis, a common parasite.

The 50 percent figure compared with 20 percent of white teenagers, health officials and researchers said at a news conference at a scientific meeting in Chicago.

The two most common sexually transmitted diseases, or S.T.D.’s, among all the participants tested were HPV, at 18 percent, and chlamydia, at 4 percent, according to the analysis, part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Each disease can be serious in its own way. HPV, for example, can cause cancer and genital warts.

Among the infected women, 15 percent had more than one of the diseases.

Women may be unaware they are infected. But the diseases, which are infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites, can produce acute symptoms like irritating vaginal discharge, painful pelvic inflammatory disease and potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy. The infections can also lead to longterm ailments like infertility and cervical cancer.

The survey tested for specific HPV strains linked to genital warts and cervical cancer.

Officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the findings underscored the need to strengthen screening, vaccination and other prevention measures for the diseases, which are among the highest public health priorities.

About 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year among all age groups in the United States.

“High S.T.D. infection rates among young women, particularly young African-American women, are clear signs that we must continue developing ways to reach those most at risk,” said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., who directs the centers’ division of S.T.D. prevention.

The president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Cecile Richards, said the new findings “emphasize the need for real comprehensive sex education.”

“The national policy of promoting abstinence-only programs is a $1.5 billion failure,” Ms. Richards said, “and teenage girls are paying the real price.”

Although earlier annual surveys have tested for a single sexually transmitted disease in a specified population, this is the first time the national study has collected data on all the most common sexual diseases in adolescent women at the same time. It is also the first time the study measured human papillomavirus.

Dr. Douglas said that because the new survey was based on direct testing, it was more reliable than analyses derived from data that doctors and clinics sent to the diseases center through state and local health departments.

“What we found is alarming,” said Dr. Sara Forhan, a researcher at the centers and the lead author of the study.

Dr. Forhan added that the study showed “how fast the S.T.D. prevalence appears.”

“Far too many young women are at risk for the serious health effects of untreated S.T.D.’s, ” she said.

The centers conducts the annual study, which asks a representative sample of the household population a wide range of health questions. The analysis was based on information collected in the 2003-4 survey.

Extrapolating from the findings, Dr. Forhan said 3.2 million teenage women were infected with at least one of the four diseases.

The 838 participants in the study were chosen at random with standard statistical techniques. Of the women asked, 96 percent agreed to submit vaginal swabs for testing.

The findings and specific treatment recommendations were available to the participants calling a password-protected telephone line. Three reminders were sent to participants who did not call.

Health officials recommend treatment for all sex partners of individuals diagnosed with curable sexually transmitted diseases. One promising approach to reach that goal is for doctors who treat infected women to provide or prescribe the same treatment for their partners, Dr. Douglas said. The goal is to encourage men who may not have a physician or who have no symptoms and may be reluctant to seek care to be treated without a doctor’s visit.

He also urged infected women to be retested three months after treatment to detect possible reinfection and to treat it.

Dr. Forhan said she did not know how many participants received their test results.

Federal health officials recommend annual screening tests to detect chlamydia for sexually active women younger than 25. The disease agency also recommends that women ages 11 to 26 be fully vaccinated against HPV.

The Food and Drug Administration has said in a report that latex condoms are “highly effective” at preventing infection by chlamydia, trichomoniasis, H.I.V., gonorrhea and hepatitis B.

The agency noted that condoms seemed less effective against genital herpes and syphilis. Protection against human papillomavirus “is partial at best,” the report said.

For the full article, please refer to http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/science/12std.html?_r=3&scp=3&sq=std%20testing&st=cse

We’ve assumed that condoms can reduce the spread of genital herpes – but without complete, or at least well-quantified, confidence in the assumption.  

This fact sheet from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sums up the reason for such hesitation: “Genital ulcer diseases can occur in both male and female genital areas that are covered or protected by a latex condom, as well as in areas that are not covered.”

Then there’s the problem of transmission without visible signs of infection. As the National Institutes of Health states: “Most people get genital herpes by having sex with someone who is shedding the herpes virus either during an outbreak or an asymptomatic (without symptoms) period. People who do not know they have herpes play an important role in transmission because they are unaware they can infect a sexual partner.”

Researchers at the University of Washington, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and elsewhere decided to try to clarify just how much condoms can reduce the spread of genital herpes, known medically as herpes simplex virus 2 (or HSV-2).
 
They analyzed six studies of various types, all of which featured data on individual condom use and on HSV-2 acquisition.

They found that people who always used condoms had a 30% decreased risk of acquiring genital herpes when compared with people who never used condoms.

In clarifying further, the researchers stated: “Risk of HSV-2 acquisition decreased by 7% for every additional 25% of the time that condoms were used during anal or vaginal sex. Risk of HSV-2 acquisition also rose steadily and significantly with increasing frequency of unprotected sex acts, and our findings were consistent throughout multiple analysis strategies.”

The results were published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Here’s the abstract.

The upshot of the study: “Although the magnitude of protection was not as large as has been observed with other STIs, we found that condoms offer moderate protection against HSV-2 acquisition in men and women.”

Here’s more information on genital herpes from the National Institutes of Health, including details on asymptomatic shedding:

“Sometimes, the virus can become active but not cause any visible sores or any symptoms. During these times, small amounts of the virus may be shed at or near places of the first infection, in fluids from the mouth, penis, or vagina, or from barely noticeable sores. This is called asymptomatic shedding. Even though you are not aware of the shedding, you can infect a sexual partner during this time. Asymptomatic shedding is an important factor in the spread of herpes.”

And here’s the aforementioned fact sheet on genital herpes from the CDC.

The key here is consistent use. Not sometime use, but consistent use.

For the complete article, please refer to http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/07/condoms-genital-herpes-.html

How parents respond to the news that their teen is having sex can open communication lines, or sever them, at a key time in the child’s life, according to Maureen Lyon, a clinical psychologist at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington.

Lyon and Christina Breda Antoniades recently wrote a guide that aims to steer parents toward appropriate ways to respond to such a revelation: “My Teen Has Had Sex, Now What Do I Do?” (Fair Winds Press).

“We wanted to provide ways kids and parents could talk,” said Lyon. In her work, she sees the results of poor parent-teen communication on the topic: STDs, unwed pregnancies, and broken relationships.

Though many parents prefer to think that their teen is not sexually active, the book cites statistics that suggest otherwise: 17 percent of seventh- and eighth-graders have had sex at least once, as have 33 percent of ninth-graders, 44 percent of 10th-graders, 56 percent of 11th-graders, and 65 percent of 12th-graders.

Lyon said parents should try to adopt as neutral and non-judgmental a tone as possible. Arguing and screaming often serve only to inflame an already difficult situation, she cautioned. “This can be a teachable moment about the value of sex in the context of a relationship,” said Lyon. “It doesn’t have to end up being a power struggle.”

“First, find the right time, a time when you’ll be uninterrupted and calm, and a private place to speak truthfully from your heart,” Lyon suggests. “Second, share with your teen what your values are and what your concerns are. Third, now that he or she has engaged in adult sexual behavior, let them know you have scheduled an appointment to meet with their pediatrician or adolescent medicine or family doctor for a checkup.”

For the complete article, and for more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, please refer to http://www.cdcnpin.org/

An estimated 19 million new infections occur each year, most of them not HIV. Almost half are in people 15- to 24 years old.
Chlamydia diagnoses are skyrocketing. Syphilis, at an all-time low nine years ago, is increasing steadily with a big boost in men.
Although its numbers are fairly stable nationwide, gonorrhea still occurs more than it should.
The southeastern United States has the highest rates of those three, said Toney, a professor with the University of South Florida College of Medicine’s infectious diseases division.
Getting people tested for STDs and teaching them how to keep from getting infected involves issues similar to those reported by Polk County’s HIV/AIDS outreach workers, Toney said.
HIV/AIDS gets the attention, in large part, because of the number of people who die from it. The statistics for other STDS didn’t seem as compelling or deadly, despite the sterility, infertility and pain they can cause.
But here are some statistics that can put STDs in a whole new light:
People infected with other STDS, like gonorrhea or syphilis, are at least 2-to-5 times more likely than uninfected people to get HIV infection when exposed to HIV during sex. That’s according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s true for all races.
Higher rates of poverty among blacks than whites, accompanied by socioeconomic barriers to prevention and treatment, are associated with their higher rates of both STDs and HIV.
Syphilis and herpes, producing sores and ulcers, make it much easier for the HIV virus to get into the body.
“You need less virus to cause an infection,” Toney said.
With gonorrhea and chlamydia, inflammation pushes cells that could get infected closer to the surface, again making HIV infection easier.
Blacks had about 70 percent of reported gonorrhea cases, 48 percent of all chlamydia cases and 46 percent of syphilis cases nationwide in 2007, the CDC reported. They’re about 12 percent of the population.
Black teenagers who are 15-to-19 years old have the highest rates of chlamydia or gonorrhea of any group, CDC said in January.
Black women were 16 times more likely to have syphilis than white women, 15 times more likely to have gonorrhea and seven times more likely to have chlamydia in 2006, according to the Black AIDS Institute’s report on “The State of AIDS in Black America 2009.”
Many cases of STDS don’t get diagnosed. Some don’t cause symptoms or the symptoms are mild. Some common viral infections, like human papillomavirus and genital herpes, don’t get reported.
Collectively, the CDC estimates STDs cost the U.S. health system as much as $15.3 billion a year.
Because of the link between HIV and other STDs, Polk County’s outreach workers often test for both when they’re doing community programs such as the one being held in Haines City today for National HIV Testing Day.
Combatting STDs has to take place through the offices of individual practitioners – doctors, nurses and advanced nurse practitioners – nationwide.
CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women younger than 25. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening all high risk, sexually active women for gonorrhea. CDC agrees with that recommendation.
Toney is affiliated with a Southeast Regional STD-HIV Prevention Training Center in Tampa that trains health-care providers in diagnosing, treating and managing sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Its standard courses are one to five days long, but there are some alternatives.
The center formed in 1988 because of Florida’s high rates of sexually transmitted diseases. It has gotten CDC funding since then. It’s also the only state-supported STD-HIV prevention center of this type.
The Hillsborough County Health Department also is involved

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.theledger.com/article/20090626/NEWS/906265055/1410?Title=Worry-Over-AIDS-Hides-Rising-STD-Infections

Yikes—19 million STD infections occur each year according to the Center for Disease Control’s NEW report this week. The numbers from 2007 are in and the stats are a total bummer. Gonorrhea and chlamydia, the most common STDs, recorded the largest number of known cases to date in 2009, 1.5 million according to the most recent assessment.

However, the government agency thinks that’s a low estimate, and suspect that there are actually twice as many people who are carrying the infections. Unfortunately, the infections often go undiagnosed because they can be asymptomatic.

While gonorrhea and chlamydia frequently come together in one big STD package, they are both cured with antibiotics. However, if someone isn’t a responsible sexy time partner and doesn’t get tested regularly, the diseases can wreak havoc and even do things jeopardize your ability to get pregnant.

Since young women, age 15-34, are in the highest risk categories, it’s essential that we take care of our business!

For the full article http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-cdc-releases-latest-std-statistics/

Abstract:

It is unclear whether hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been eradicated or persists at a low level in HCV antibody-positive HCV RNA-negative individuals. The natural history and liver histology are not well characterized. One hundred seventy-two HCV antibody-positive, serum HCV RNA-negative patients underwent diagnostic liver biopsy between 1992 and 2000 and were followed a median 7 years (range, 5-12). Patients with any possible cause of liver injury other than HCV were excluded. A single histopathologist scored sections using Ishak criteria. Characterization of the inflammatory infiltrate in selected cases used a novel semiquantitative technique and compared with HCV RNA-positive patients and healthy controls. One hundred two patients were excluded because of a risk factor for liver injury other than HCV. Seventy patients met the study criteria; four (5.7%) became HCV RNA-positive during follow-up. Sixty-six cases remained HCV RNA-negative; five (7.5%) had a normal liver biopsy; 54 (82%) had fibrosis (stage 2 or 3 in 16 (24%)). Nonviremic cases revealed expanded portal tracts (P < 0.05), with fewer CD4+ (P < 0.05) and more CD8+ cells (P < 0.05) than healthy controls, but were indistinguishable from HCV RNA-positive cases for these parameters. Lobular CD4 staining, absent in healthy controls, was noted in both HCV RNA-negative and -positive cases and was more marked in the latter (P < 0.05) with a sinusoidal lining cell distribution. Conclusion: Nonviremic HCV antibody-positive patients have a liver biopsy that is usually abnormal. Fibrosis was present in most with similar inflammatory infiltrate to viremic cases. The presence of a CD8+ rich inflammatory infiltrate suggests an ongoing immune response in the liver, supporting the view that HCV may persist in the liver in the majority of HCV RNA-negative cases.

Discussion:

HCV infection leads to chronic viremia in the majority of individuals exposed to HCV. The natural history in this group, the risk factors for progressive injury and the benefits of antiviral therapy are well established. However, the clinical status of the minority without viremia after exposure to HCV is less clear. It is uncertain whether this group has resolved infection, with or without long-term immunity and protection from further exposure to HCV or, alternatively, low-level viral replication, where HCV RNA can only be detected within the liver.[11][19] Neither the natural history nor the liver histology in this cohort has been described in detail.
For the complete article, please refer to http://www.natap.org/2008/HCV/122208_01.htm

Most people know that condoms prevent the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Unusual campaigns to promote condom use are being launched in places where condoms are less popular. But in many parts of the world, condoms aren’t very popular. Here are five novel campaigns launched by nonprofit organizations and condom companies to encourage wider use.

1. A ring tone to remember:

In India, people stigmatize condoms and refuse to wear them because they believe only prostitutes must use prophylactics. Leave it to one of the world’s richest men to find a solution — the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donated money for a national condom ring tone.

2. Perks you right up:

Ethiopians claim they hate condoms because the smell of latex sickens them. To combat the odor, DKT International, a United Sates nonprofit, created coffee condoms. These dark brown condoms allegedly (I’m not testing the products) taste and smell like the favorite coffee of Ethiopia — the macchiato, an espresso with cream and sugar.

3. Condom trees:

In western Australia, the rate of HIV infection is the highest in the nation. When public health nurses were looking for an effective way to distribute condoms, someone suggested trees. Young people in the countryside hang out under trees, so the shady spots are the perfect places for nurses to hang condom-filled canisters.

4. Scare tactics:

Perhaps some safe sex programs skirt the issue — unprotected sex causes HIV, which leads to AIDS and often death. The Tulipan Company launched its “Be Careful” ads in Argentina. Showing skeletons positioned in flagrante delicto, these ads make no bones about how important it is to wear a condom while engaging in coitus.

5. Spray-on protection:

Since his teens, Jan Vinzenz Krause struggled to find a condom that fit correctly. He thought the pursuit of the perfect prophylactic was hopeless — until he went to the carwash. Inspired by the spray-on soap and wax, the German Krause developed a spray-on latex condom, which he claims always fits perfectly and feels natural.

For the full article, please refer to http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/10/31/mf.safe.sex/index.html?iref=newssearch

Other sexually transmitted diseases don’t get the attention HIV does, which causes Dr. John Toney some distress.

An estimated 19 million new infections occur each year, most of them not HIV. Almost half are in people 15- to 24 years old.

Chlamydia diagnoses are skyrocketing. Syphilis, at an all-time low nine years ago, is increasing steadily with a big boost in men.

Although its numbers are fairly stable nationwide, gonorrhea still occurs more than it should.

The southeastern United States has the highest rates of those three, said Toney, a professor with the University of South Florida College of Medicine’s infectious diseases division.

Getting people tested for STDs and teaching them how to keep from getting infected involves issues similar to those reported by Polk County’s HIV/AIDS outreach workers, Toney said.

“We still have issues in the United States talking about sexuality,” he said. “There are beliefs we have to look at.”

HIV/AIDS gets the attention, in large part, because of the number of people who die from it. The statistics for other STDS didn’t seem as compelling or deadly, despite the sterility, infertility and pain they can cause.

But here are some statistics that can put STDs in a whole new light:

People infected with other STDS, like gonorrhea or syphilis, are at least 2-to-5 times more likely than uninfected people to get HIV infection when exposed to HIV during sex. That’s according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s true for all races.

Higher rates of poverty among blacks than whites, accompanied by socioeconomic barriers to prevention and treatment, are associated with their higher rates of both STDs and HIV.

Syphilis and herpes, producing sores and ulcers, make it much easier for the HIV virus to get into the body.

“You need less virus to cause an infection,” Toney said.

With gonorrhea and chlamydia, inflammation pushes cells that could get infected closer to the surface, again making HIV infection easier.

Blacks had about 70 percent of reported gonorrhea cases, 48 percent of all chlamydia cases and 46 percent of syphilis cases nationwide in 2007, the CDC reported. They’re about 12 percent of the population.

Black teenagers who are 15-to-19 years old have the highest rates of chlamydia or gonorrhea of any group, CDC said in January.

Black women were 16 times more likely to have syphilis than white women, 15 times more likely to have gonorrhea and seven times more likely to have chlamydia in 2006, according to the Black AIDS Institute’s report on “The State of AIDS in Black America 2009.”

Many cases of STDS don’t get diagnosed. Some don’t cause symptoms or the symptoms are mild. Some common viral infections, like human papillomavirus and genital herpes, don’t get reported.

Collectively, the CDC estimates STDs cost the U.S. health system as much as $15.3 billion a year.

Because of the link between HIV and other STDs, Polk County’s outreach workers often test for both when they’re doing community programs such as the one being held in Haines City today for National HIV Testing Day.

That’s essential, but not enough on its own to solve the problem, Toney said.

Combatting STDs has to take place through the offices of individual practitioners – doctors, nurses and advanced nurse practitioners – nationwide.

CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women younger than 25. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening all high risk, sexually active women for gonorrhea. CDC agrees with that recommendation.

Toney is affiliated with a Southeast Regional STD-HIV Prevention Training Center in Tampa that trains health-care providers in diagnosing, treating and managing sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Its standard courses are one to five days long, but there are some alternatives.

The center formed in 1988 because of Florida’s high rates of sexually transmitted diseases. It has gotten CDC funding since then. It’s also the only state-supported STD-HIV prevention center of this type.

The Hillsborough County Health Department also is involved.

For more information, e-mail Calvin Doss at calvin_doss@doh.state.fl.us. The Web site for the national program is www.nnptc.org.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.theledger.com/article/20090626/NEWS/906265055/1410?Title=Worry-Over-AIDS-Hides-Rising-STD-Infections.

With Cook County boasting the dubious distinction of first in the nation in reported cases of gonorrhea — and second in reported chlamydia cases — the Chicago Public Schools will begin testing teens, who represent 60 percent of new reports.

Approved by the Board of Education this week, the pilot education, testing and treatment program will be run by the city Department of Public Health in six high schools at no cost to CPS.

“It’s a very large problem with teens and adolescents in Chicago, and it’s very, very important that they get the information about these sexually transmitted infections,” said Christopher Brown, Department of Public Health assistant commissioner.

“Our goal is to get the information out to teens — about how they’re transmitted in particular — and also that there’s treatment available.”

The six pilot schools are yet to be determined — but a criteria is that a school have its own health center, city and schools officials said.

“Testing will occur at the designated school health centers, and the students will receive test results,” CPS spokeswoman Monique Bond said. “School health centers will also provide treatment to those students who have been diagnosed.”

Participation by the schools and students — 11th- and 12th-graders are being targeted — will be voluntary, CPS officials said.

The program, in development for over a year, is based on the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, for 2007, which showed Cook County notched 12,338 reported gonorrhea cases, or 233 per 100,000 population. The county notched 30,881 chlamydia cases, or 583 per 100,000 population — second only to Los Angeles County.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/1640738,CST-EDT-std26.article.

A new campaign has just been launched encouraging young men in Argyll & Bute aged 16 – 24 to get tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea. The scheme, run by Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland and funded by NHS Highland, aims to reduce undiagnosed sexually transmitted infections (STIs) amongst young men because research suggests they are much less likely to get checked out.

Chlamydia is the most common STI, affecting around one in ten young people. In most cases it has no symptoms – so you could have chlamydia and not know it. Whilst some people have no symptoms at all others have tell-tale signs which include pain when urinating or during sex, bleeding after sex and pain in the pelvis or lower abdomen. If untreated, chlamydia can cause serious health problems including infertility in men.

THT is encouraging men to order a free testing kit by visiting http://www.tht.org.uk/free. The test is quick and easy. It involves taking a urine sample which is then sent off in a freepost envelope to the lab, results are available in 1 to 2 weeks. For those who test positive for chlamydia or gonorrhoea, we’ll discuss the easiest way to get treatment.

Katrina Mitchell, Health Promotion Officer at Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland said: “Chlamydia is at its highest level ever in Scotland with a 7% increase on last year alone. Most people taking a test at the moment are women so we need to do more to encourage men to get checked. That’s why we’re sending out test kits to make it as easy as possible for men to get checked out. We know it can be awkward to get to a clinic, so as well as the postal kits we’re also visiting bars and pubs so that men can take the test there and then.”

From July THT will also be out at pubs, clubs, colleges, community centres, places of work and sports and leisure centres, inviting young men to take the test.

In a bid to reduce dangerous levels of undiagnosed HIV among gay men, Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) is launching a new campaign encouraging men to take control of their sexual health by regularly testing for HIV. The campaign ‘THIVK – Test – Take Control’ will be run through a stand-alone website (http://www.thinkHIV.co.uk), adverts in gay press, posters, leaflets and condom packs, carrying the following messages:

- “Treatments have never been so good. If you have HIV, the sooner you find out the better.”
- “Think HIV testing takes too long? Some clinics offer ‘rapid tests’ with results in 20 minutes.”
- “You think you’re HIV negative? You might be wrong.”

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) estimates that, in the UK, up to 10,000 gay men have HIV without knowing – one in four men infected with the virus don’t know they have it. Despite this, around a third of gay men in England have never taken an HIV test, with the figure even higher in Scotland and Wales. Reasons men don’t test include not realising how much they’ve put themselves at risk, concern about the length of time they’ll have to wait for the result, and fear of getting a positive result.

THT’s new campaign ‘THIVK – Test – Take Control’ directly addresses these concerns, outlining why – if you have HIV – it’s vitally important it be diagnosed as early as possible. People diagnosed late (CD4 count < 200) are much more likely to die within a year of diagnosis than those diagnosed sooner, while those who leave it too long to start HIV treatment are also more likely to pass the virus on to their partners than those who are already receiving treatment.

Marc Thompson, Deputy Head of Health Promotion says: “Recent medical advances mean HIV treatments are now more effective, easier to take and have fewer side effects. Doctors are now confident people with HIV will live long and healthy lives if diagnosed soon enough. However, if gay men leave it too late to get tested, they’re setting themselves up for serious health problems and the risk of early death.

“It’s now recommended that gay men test at least once a year, or after any unprotected sex. With the new rapid HIV tests available in testing centres such as THT ‘Fastest’, it’s never been easier to test. Part of the reason gay men don’t test as often as they should may be that they under-estimate the importance of being aware of your HIV status. We hope that, through the new campaign, we can encourage men to take control and make testing for HIV a regular part of their lives.”

Notes

1. Terrence Higgins Trust is the UK’s largest HIV and sexual health charity with centres across England, Scotland and Wales. We’re here to provide information and advice about HIV and sexual health and offer a range of services including sexual health checks, counselling and support groups. We campaign for a world where people with HIV live healthy lives, free from prejudice and discrimination and we promote good sexual health as a right and reality for all. Terrence Higgins Trust relies on donations to deliver a wide range of services. To make a donation, visit http://www.tht.org.uk

2. ‘THIVK – Test – Take Control’ is a CHAPS campaign, funded by the Department of Health. CHAPS is a partnership of community-based organisations, co-ordinated by Terrence Higgins Trust, which carry out HIV health promotion work with gay men in England and Wales.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156400.php.

Breaking up over e-mail is a social no-no.

But sending an e-card telling someone to get tested for STDs may be a public health courtesy.

Since 2004, a free Web site, inSpot.org has allowed users to anonymously notify their partners to get tested for STDs such as HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis.

“It’s not like you get a card and it’s, ‘Oh no, it’s a dead end,’” said Deb Levine, executive director of Internet Sexuality Information Services, a nonprofit organization. “The card leads you to regularly updated information about what you may have been exposed to.”

The health department promoted syphilis testing in the chat room through screen names and e-mails. Five years later, Internet Sexuality Information Services and the health department assembled a focus group of gay men to discuss partner notification. They found that most men told their primary partners about an STD diagnosis, “but despite good intentions, they did not tell their casual partners,” according to their report.

Their inspiration for the STD cards came from evites, an electronic invitation for parties and events. The inSPOT.org cards started with a focus on gay men, but have expanded to all sexually active people. Levine said they’d like to conduct further research to gauge the effectiveness of the e-cards.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/10/21/std.e-cards/index.html.

Antiviral medications have proven clinical effectiveness against genital herpes. Here is a snapshot of the three most commonly prescribed medications; Acyclovir (Zovirax), Famciclovir (Famvir) and Valacyclovir (Valtrex).

Acyclovir helps to prevent the herpes virus from spreading to other cells. It is used in the treatment of genital herpes, but also chickenpox and shingles. Acyclovir is available as tablets, capsules, an ointment, a suspension or as an injection. In ointment form it may be applied directly to the affected area. This is known to reduce pain, help limit the spread of infection and speed up the healing process. During the first outbreak of genital herpes a typical prescription is along the lines of tablets or capsules, 400 mg, three times a day for up to 10 days. This may vary slightly. Acyclovir may also be used in cases of recurrent outbreaks and, where more than six outbreaks occur in a year, it can be taken daily.

Famciclovir also helps to prevent the herpes virus from spreading to other cells. Like acyclovir it does not cure or prevent the spread of herpes. Famciclovir is available as a tablet for the treatment of cold sores (herpes simplex 1) and genital herpes (herpes simplex 2). Its action is broadly similar to Acyclovir in that it helps to relieve itching, burning and pain and speeds up the healing time. Because it has a longer therapeutic effect than acyclovir it can be taken fewer times a day.

Valacyclovir is classed as a prodrug. When taken, valacyclovir is converted to acyclovir in the body. Valacyclovir is available as a cream or in oral or intravenous forms. It has a longer therapeutic duration than acyclovir and can therefore be taken fewer times a day.

For the full article, please refer to http://www.healthcentral.com/genital-herpes/c/52977/70190/famciclovir

A new CDC study estimates that one in four (26 percent) young women between the ages of 14 and 19 in the United States — or 3.2 million teenage girls — is infected with at least one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis).

The two most common STDs overall were human papillomavirus, or HPV (18 percent), and chlamydia (4 percent). Data were based on an analysis of the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

For the full article, please refer to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312084645.htm

Risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, a primary malignancy of the liver, was statistically significantly higher among women with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection than among women without the virus, according to a study published online June 17 in the JNCI.

Because hepatocellular carcinoma mostly occurs in men, few women have been included in long-term studies of the association between HBV infection and this carcinoma.

The more children a woman had, the lower her risk appeared to be. This inverse relationship between parity and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma was statistically significant. “Underlying biological mechanisms responsible for this…merit further investigation,” the authors write.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154531.php

Hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccine will not protect you against infection with hepatitis C or E, or other viruses that affect the liver. It will also not protect you from hepatitis if you are already infected with the virus, even if you do not yet show symptoms.

Vaccination with hepatitis A and hepatitis B is recommended for all adults who are at risk of getting hepatitis A or B. Risk factors include: having more than one sex partner in 6 months; being a homosexual male; having sexual contact with infected people; having cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis C; using intravenous (IV) drugs; being on dialysis or receiving blood transfusions; working in healthcare or public safety and being exposed to infected blood or body fluids; being in the military or traveling to high-risk areas; and living with a person who has either hepatitis A or B infection.

Hepatitis A and B are serious diseases caused by virus. Hepatitis A is spread through contact with the stool (bowel movements) of a person infected with the hepatitis A virus. This usually occurs by eating food or drinking water that has become contaminated as a result of handling by an infected person.

Hepatitis B is spread through blood or bodily fluids, sexual contact or sharing IV drug needles with an infected person, or during childbirth when a baby is born to a mother who is infected. Hepatitis causes inflammation of the liver, vomiting, and jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes). Hepatitis can lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis, or death.

Your doctor or pharmacist may have information about this vaccine written for health professionals that you may read. You may also find additional information from your local health department or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.drugs-journal.co.cc/drug-1514-hepatitis-a-and-hepatitis-b-vaccine.html

Hepatitis is one of the prominent health problems. Many illnesses and conditions can cause inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis is most often viral, due to infection with one of the hepatitis viruses (A, B, C, D, and E) or another virus (such as those that cause infectious mononucleosis, cytomegalovirus disease, or yellow fever).

Hepatitis B virus

It is a rigorous disease caused by a virus that harms the liver. It is commonly known as hepatitis B virus (HBV). It can cause a wide number of symptoms ranging from general malaise to lifelong infection, cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death.

HBV spreads by contaminated body fluids, such as blood, saliva, semen, vaginal fluids, tears, and urine, an infected blood transfusion, shared infected needles or syringes for injecting drugs, sexual activity with an HBV-infected individual, and transmission from HBV-infected mothers to their newborn infants.

Hepatitis C virus

It is one of the common liver disease caused by a virus known as HCV(hepatitis C virus). Infection with the hepatitis C virus can cause chronic liver disease and is the leading reason for liver transplant . HCV is spread by direct contact with an infected person’s blood, getting a tattoo or body piercing with non sterilized tools, sharing drug needles, sexual contact with infected person.

For the complete article, please see http://www.webarticles.co.za/articlebase/?p=6967

European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) guidance issued this week says that notification and management of partners of those with chlamydia should form an essential part of case management.

Consideration should also be given to providing partners with home testing kits or antibiotics for treatment, the guidelines say.

The ECDC reviewed chlamydia control activities in 29 European countries and found wide variation in the provision of services.

The centre believes that surveillance of chlamydia prevalence and treatment across Europe needs to improve.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.healthcarerepublic.com//news/index.cfm?fuseaction=HCR.RSS.News.Article&nNewsID=916861#AddComment

Chlamydia infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease, responsible for a record 1.1 million cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2007, and experts there estimate that twice that many cases go undetected. Left untreated, chlamydia can cause infertility or potentially fatal ectopic pregnancies. But many women aren’t even aware that they were exposed to it—possibly years ago—until they try to have a baby and can’t.

Chlamydia can be detected with a simple urine test. It can be treated with a single dose of antibiotics, and the CDC has been urging all sexually active women under 26 years old to be tested for it annually, as well as older women who have had a change of sexual partner. Yet fewer than 40 % of women in those categories are being screened.

Even when women are treated for chlamydia, about 25% become reinfected within six months—probably due to a partner who wasn’t treated. So the CDC recommends that doctors give women a second course of antibiotics for their partners, even without being seen by a doctor themselves. It can be treated either with a weekly dose of doxycycline or a single dose of azithromycin, which goes by the brand name Zithromax, made by Pfizer Inc., in many countries.

Most official efforts are focused on detecting active chlamydia infections in young women. But what if you think you were exposed years ago? The main risk is to fertility. The CDC recommends that all pregnant women be tested for chlamydia at the first prenatal visit, although if you are planning to become pregnant, it’s a good idea to be tested for all STDs well in advance. Older women who are experiencing pelvic pain, intermittent bleeding, unusual vaginal discharge or signs of early menopause should ask their doctor if chlamydia could be involved.

For the complete article, please refer to http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203937504574252362862563486.html

The National Chlamydia Coalition is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase public awareness and screening efforts for chlamydia, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reports. According to CDC, there were 1.1 million recorded cases of chlamydia in 2007, although experts estimate that there are twice as many cases that are not detected largely because the infection often causes few symptoms and many people go unscreened.

The infection is three times more common in women than men, which experts say could be because men eliminate it from their bodies more readily than women. Chlamydia is treatable with a single dose of antibiotics, but if left untreated, it can lead to infertility or increased risk for ectopic pregnancies in women.

CDC recommends that all sexually active women younger than age 26 be tested annually for the infection, as well as older women who have had a change of sexual partners. However, fewer than 40% of women in those groups are tested, the Journal reports.

According to the Journal, many patients do not ask to be screened for the disease because the few symptoms it causes — such as bleeding between periods, occasional vaginal discharge, pain during intercourse, pelvic pain in women, and burning upon urination in men — are common to many conditions.

The Journal reports that the issue of how minors can pay for chlamydia testing can also create barriers. All 50 states allow minors to be tested and treated for STIs without parental consent. However, if a minor’s health insurance is provided by his or her parents, a lab fee listed on an explanation of benefits report for the testing could be considered a breach of confidentiality.The results can then be sent via phone, e-mail or regular mail. Los Angeles County, Calif., in June started a similar program for female residents ages 15 to 25.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155957.php

SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH

Dear Dr. Donohue — I just had my second pelvic exam. I am 21. The doctor told me he was going to check for infections as well as cancer, and I told him to go ahead. I have no symptoms of infection, like a discharge or any pain. It turns out I have a chlamydia infection. The doctor said it could make having children impossible. I am crushed by all this. I have had two sex partners. I asked if I should tell them, and he just shrugged his shoulders. What do I do? I am being treated.

Chlamydia  is the most common sexually transmitted, bacterial infection in the United States and Canada. More than 4 million adults, mostly between the ages of 16 and 25, come down with it yearly in the U.S. One reason why it’s so rampant is that the infection often causes no symptoms in the woman or the man.

When symptoms do occur, they consist of pelvic pain, pain on urination, vaginal discharge and painful sexual relations in women. In men, the symptoms are a discharge from the penis and painful urination. Sometimes a testicle swells and hurts.

If the infection isn’t treated with antibiotics, it can spread upward in the female genital tract and leave the ovarian ducts scarred and closed. That makes a woman infertile. It also can infect the pelvic organs to produce pelvic inflammatory disease, a painful condition often requiring hospitalization.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/columnists.nsf/drpauldonohue/story/4CA0F5DF43091ABD862575BE0056E907?OpenDocument

Responding to high levels of sexually-transmitted infections in Chicago high schools, the city Board of Education yesterday voted to increase STD testing and education for teenagers.

The project will be run in tandem with the Chicago Department of Public Health. Cook County leads the nation in reported cases of gonorrhea, and has the third highest number of Chlamydia cases. Teenagers account for more than 60 percent of new cases in Chicago. School leaders hope more education, testing and treatment will lower those numbers.

It is unclear when the program will begin in schools, nor how many schools will be involved. The two agencies will offer prevention education, as well as urine-based testing for the two STDs. The program will be free for students and their families.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.chitowndailynews.org/Chicago_news/CPS_to_provide_testing_for_STDs,29054

World heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko will fight Ruslan Chagaev as planned on Saturday as the challenger’s hepatitis B virus poses no health threat, health officials said on Friday.

“Infection doesn’t mean illness. According to international expert opinions Ruslan Chagaev is regarded as non-infectious.”

“The risk of infecting officials and visitors is beyond minimal,” Gelsenkirchen health department chief Henriette Reker told reporters. Reker said all possible risks had been considered and said there was no need to re-evaluate the situation.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSTRE55I2ML20090619.